About Susan Bennerstrom

I was raised in a strict religion (some would call it a cult) that denied the reality of the physical world. Pain was seen as a moral failing; conversely, so was sensual joy. I bought into it until it dawned on me that I was in love with the world I could see with my eyes. As an art student I made a sharp hairpin turn and painted what my eyes saw and my senses felt. Since the early 1980’s my passion has been the exploration and depiction of light. Structures and objects are stage sets for light with its transformative power and ability to affect emotions. Light and shadow imply the narrative and carry the emotional weight in my paintings. Covid 19 turned everything upside down. Artists had to rethink their purpose. For me, it caused a circling back to some aspects of the philosophy of my childhood, not in the form of religion, but in a desire to be engulfed in space and light, and to put this feeling on canvas. The paintings represent a slowing down, and an acknowledgement of light as a way of connecting with a realm beyond the tangible and physical.
REPRESENTATION	Woodside Braseth Gallery, Seattle, WA Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA
EDUCATION	Western Washington University, BFA 2018
SOLO EXHIBITIONS	2022 2021 2019 2017 2015 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986	“Inside Out,” Woodside Braseth Gallery, Seattle WA “Light and Space,” Jansen Art Center, Lynden WA “Compass” Woodside Braseth Gallery, Seattle, WA Woodside Braseth Gallery, Seattle, WA Jansen Art Center, Lynden, WA “Odyssey” Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA Linda Hodges Gallery, Seattle, WA “Sojourn,” Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA “New Paintings,” Sue Greenwood Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA “Introduction: Susan Bennerstrom,” Sue Greenwood Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA “Night and Day: New Paintings,” Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA "Bystander,” Terrence Rogers Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA “Elements,” Davidson Contemporary, Seattle, WA “Tent-Interior-Leaf,” Davidson Contemporary, Seattle, WA Terrence Rogers Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, WA “Within,” Davidson Contemporary, Seattle, WA “Threshold,” Terrence Rogers Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA “River Bed,” Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA “Beds,” collaboration with poet Suzanne Paola, Museum of Northwest Art, LaConner, WA Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR “Existing Light, retrospective, Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA Terrence Rogers Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA J. Cacciola Gallery, New York NY Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR “From Here to the Horizon: Curator’s View,” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA “Objects and Incidents,” Edward Cain Galleries, Pt. Townsend, WA Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Ballyhugh Art & Culture Centre, and County Courthouse Gallery, County Cavan, Ireland Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA J. Cacciola Galleries, New York, NY Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Fletcher Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Bellingham, WA Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Fletcher Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Fletcher Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Fletcher Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Fletcher Gallery, Santa Fe, NM Port Angeles Fine Art Center, Port Angeles, WA Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Alonso/Sullivan Gallery, Seattle, WA Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon, WA Carnegie Art Center, Walla Walla, WA Alonso/Sullivan Gallery, Seattle, WA Alonso/Sullivan Gallery, Seattle, WA

GROUP EXHIBITIONS	2021 2020 2020 2019 2016 2015 2015 2014 2013 2012 2012 2010 2010 2009 2007 2006 2005 2003 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1992 1990 1988 1987 1985	“Tieton 10 x 10” Tieton, WA “Tieton 10 x 10” Tieton WA “Anatomy of a Collection” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham WA “Continuum, Works From the Pruzan Collection” Museum of Northwest Art, LaConner WA “JUST WOMEN,” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA “A Couple of Cameras: Photographs by Susan Bennerstrom & David Scherrer, Salon Refu, Olympia, WA “A Curatorial Perspective: Selections From the Permanent Collection,” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA “Fluid,” Sue Greenwood Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA “Structures” from the permanent collection, Museum of NW Art, LaConner WA “Tieton 10 x 10” Tieton, WA “Art About Agriculture,” Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR “Small Is Big: Tieton 10x10” Tieton, WA “Show of Hands: Women Artists of the Northwest,” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA Small Works Show, Terrence Rogers Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA “Constructed Worlds: Re-Visions of Reality,” Loveland Museum, Loveland, Colorado Pt. Angeles Fine Art Center 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Pt. Angeles, WA “Images from North Mayo,” Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Ballycastle, Co. Mayo, Ireland “Still Life Today,” Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA “Small Works by Gallery Artists,” Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland OR “Small Works,” Lucia Douglas Gallery, Bellingham, WA “Views of Nature: A Landscape Invitational,” M. Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR “Bennerstrom/Cole/James/Wood” Lucia Douglas Gallery, Bellingham Annual Realism Invitational” Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA “Betty Bowen Award 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA “True Art” Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA “Shaped by the Land” Museum of Northwest Art, LaConner, WA “Art for the People” Henry Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle “Interiors” Chase Gallery at City Hall, Spokane, WA “Realism ‘94” Fletcher Gallery, Santa Fe, NM “The Betty Bowen Legacy” Security Pacific Gallery, Seattle, WA 2003, 2001, 1997, 1991 PONCHO Invitational, WA State Convention Center, Seattle, WA “Three Bellingham Artists: Tom Wood, Susan Bennerstrom, John Cole” Mercer Island Art Center, Mercer Island, WA “Art in Nature” Pacific Art Center, Seattle, WA “Landscapes” Alonso/Sullivan Gallery, Seattle, WA “Pastels: Landscapes from the Chalk Circle” Lisa Harris, Gallery, Seattle “Northwest Landscapes: Bennerstrom, Cole, Wood” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA “Bennerstrom, Cole, Wood, Perlin” Hartness-Schoos Gallery, Seattle 1989, 87, 85 Bellevue Art Museum Annual Juried Exhibition, Bellevue, WA “Landscape: John Cole and Susan Bennerstrom” Chrysalis Gallery, Bellingham, WA “Pastel Drawings: Susan Bennerstrom and Thomas Wood” Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA 1993, 88, 87, 84, 83, 82, 81 Northwest International Art Competition, Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA


CURATING / OTHER	2015 1999	Set design for Skagit Valley Opera production of Hansel and Gretel Curated “From Here to the Horizon: Artists of the Rural Landscape” Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Bellingham, WA

TEACHING		Master Classes at Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, WA, 2007, 2011 North Cascades Institute, 2009 Gage Academy of Art, Seattle, WA, 2007 San Juan Center for Art and Nature, Westcott Bay Institute, San Juan Island, WA, 2006, 2003 Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA, 2000 - present Ballyhugh Art & Culture Centre, County Cavan, Ireland, 2000, 1997 LaConner Art Workshops, LaConner, WA, 2000 - present Coupeville Arts Center, Coupeville, WA, 2005, 2000 Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, 2004 (Master Artist), 1991-1999 School of Visual Concepts, Seattle, 1998 Knockadoon Centre, County Cork, Ireland, 1997

COLLECTIONS		St. Joseph Hospital, Bellingham, WA Precept Wines, Seattle, WA Washington State Art Consortium Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA Museum of Northwest Art Ballinglen Museum of Contemporary Art, Ireland Whatcom Museum of History and Art, Bellingham, WA Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA Wilson Library, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA Skagit Valley College, Mount Vernon, WA Microsoft Verizon Wireless Davis Wright Tremaine Riverside School District, WA Marysville School District, WA Yakima School District, WA Washington State Patrol, Spokane, WA

AWARDS and HONORS	2020 2010, ’98, ’92 2004 2004, ’07 1997 1995 1994 1988 1987 1987 1988, ’86 1983	The Bennerstrom Prize, established by WWU’s Western Foundation; a scholarship given each spring to an outstanding art student Artist Trust SOLA Award Artist Trust GAP Award, Seattle Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award Ballinglen Foundation Fellowship (painting residency), Ballycastle, Co. Mayo, Ireland Corporate Council for the Arts, Seattle, Annual Commemorative Poster Mayor’s Art Award, Bellingham, WA METRO Arts Program, Art/Poetry Bus Project, Seattle, WA Third Annual Northwest Poets and Artists Calendar Betty Bowen Special Recognition Award, Seattle Art Museum Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Fair Juried Exhibition, First Place Award, Drawing Washington State Arts Commission Art in Public Places program Northwest International Art Competition, Second place award

PUBLICATIONS & REVIEWS	“Five Women Artists: Susan Bennerstrom” Whatcom Museum blog, Spring 2020 Michael Upchurch, “Interpreting the Landscape,” Seattle Crosscut, Oct. 11, 2018 Bellingham Review annual print issue 2016-present (cover art and interview) Alec Clayton, “A Couple of Cameras: Photographs by Susan Bennerstrom & David Scherrer,” (review), The Weekly Volcano, Dec. 12, 2015 Darkness Sticks to Everything: Collected and New Poems, by Tom Hennen (cover art), 2013, Copper Canyon Press Michael Upchurch, “You’ll see emptiness inhabited in Susan Bennerstrom’s captivating interiors” (review), Seattle Times, Nov. 18, 2010 Kiera Scholten, “Susan Bennerstrom,” ArtWorks Magazine, Summer 2010 Silencing the Self Across Cultures: Depression and Gender in the Social World, ed. by Dana Jack and Alisha Ali (cover art), 2010, Oxford Univ. Press Thresh & Hold by Veronica Patterson (cover art), pub. Big Pencil Press, 2009 What Love Comes To: New & Selected Poems by Ruth Stone (cover art), pub. Copper Canyon Press, 2008 Plowed Under: Agriculture and Environment in the Palouse by Andrew P.Duffin (cover art), pub. by University of Washington Press, 2007 The Disheveled Bed: Poems by Andrea Carter Brown (cover art), pub. by CavanKerry Press, 2006 Christina Twu (review), Seattle Weekly, Oct. 26 – Nov. 1, 2005 “Witness, II,” collaboration with poet Suzanne Paola, Indiana Review, vol. 27, no. 1, Summer 2005 Virginia Campbell, “Less Is More: Susan Bennerstrom’s unusually composed pastel interiors are empty of clutter and full of mood,” Southwest Art Magazine, April, 2005 “Susan Bennerstrom” (review), Andrew Engelson, Seattle Weekly, May 5-11, 2004 Messages from Washington State, pub. M.J. Murdock charitable Trust, 2003 100 Artists of the West Coast, by Douglas Bullis, pub. Schiffer Books, 2003 Susan Bennerstrom: Existing Light, catalog for retrospective, Whatcom Museum of History and Art, essay by Deloris Tarzan Ament, 2002 Judy Wagonfeld, “Vistas of Light: Color shimmers in the paintings of Bellingham artist Susan Bennerstrom,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Oct. 12, 2002 Susan Bennerstrom: Oil Pastel Paintings on Panel, catalog, Terrence Rogers Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA, Oct. 2002 Deloris Tarzan Ament, “The Transformative Power of Light: Susan Bennerstrom Exhibits at Davidson Galleries and Whatcom Museum,” Art Access Magazine, November, 2002 Kie Relyea, “Between Acts: Paintings Ask ‘What’s Next?’” Bellingham Herald, August 24, 2002 The Pacific Northwest Landscape: A Painted History, edited by Kitty Harmon, Introduction by Jonathan Raban, pub. By Sasquatch Books, 2001 Lyn Smallwood,”A Brush With Nature: Seven Landscape Artists,” Washington Journey (AAA magazine), Jan.-Feb., 2001 “The Best Books of 2000,” Los Angeles Times Book Review Section, Dec. 3, 2000 Regina Hackett, “Move the Coffee and Make Room for the Art,” (Book review), Seattle P-I, Nov. 27, 2000 Kie Relyea, “Shadow and Light: Artist’s Drawings suggest More Than Meets the Eye,” Bellingham Herald, Nov. 11, 2000 Susan Bennerstrom (monograph), essays by Rod Slemmons, Sarah Clark-Langager, Robin Updike, published by Davidson Galleries and University of Washington Press, 2000 Wesley Pulkka, “Contemporary Realism: A New Twist on Tradition,” Southwest Art, July 1999 “Artists to Watch: Susan Bennerstrom…” Southwest Art, July 1999 Catalog for Realism Invitational, Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, essay by Peter Frank, June 12 – July 31, 1999 Margaret Bikman, “Art’s Going to the Country: Exhibit Focuses on Rural Landscapes, Themes,” Bellingham Herald April 23, 1999 Robin Updike, “Shows Worth a Close Look,” (review) Seattle Times, 4/8/99 Robin Updike, “Landscapes by Lottery – It Keeps the Growing Crowd of Buyers In Line for Bellingham Artist’s Work,” Seattle Times, May 27, 1998 “Exhibition of Pastels by American Artist Susan Bennerstrom,” The Anglo-Celt, Cavan, Ireland, Oct. 9, 1997 Whatcom Places, intro. By Ivan Doig, Whatcom Land Trust, pub. 1997 Deloris Tarzan Ament, (review) Seattle Sidewalk, April 18, 1997 Ted Lundberg, “Susan Bennerstrom: Pastels,” Preview magazine, Apr/May 1996 “Creativity in Bloom,” (review) Seattle Times, April 12, 1996 Sheila Farr, “Retinal Pleasures,” (review) Seattle Weekly, April 17, 1996 Barbara Straker James, “Shaped by the Land,” Museum of Northwest Art News, Summer, 1996 Carmi Weingrod, “Art by Census: Should People Get Exactly What They Ask For?” American Artist, October 1995 Gussie Fauntleroy, “Travelling to the Edge of Expectation,” The Santa Fe New Mexican, August 25, 1995 Bruce Barcott, “Art Your Way,” Seattle Weekly, April 26, 1995 Sheila Farr, “America’s Most Wanted,” Bellingham Herald, April 22, 1995 The Bellingham Review, (reproductions), vol. 17, nos. 1 & 2, 1994 Willow Springs, (reproductions), no. 34, Summer 1994 Nature Through Her Eyes: Art and Literature by Women, ed. Mary Bemis and Belinda Recio, pub. The Nature Company, 1994 Sheila Farr, “Light on the Landscape,” (review) Bellingham Herald, July 23, 1994 “Susan Bennerstrom, Artist of the Ominous,” The World and I magazine, Wash., D.C., vol. 9, no.1, January 1994 Deloris Tarzan Ament, (review), Seattle Times April 26, 1993 Candelora Versace, “Brooding Hills, Sunny Shores: A Study in Contradictions,” The Santa Fe New Mexican, August 7, 1992 Jessica Maxwell, “Palouse Pentimento,” Pacific Northwest magazine, April 1992 Russ Whiting, “Bennerstrom Moves at Her Own Pace,” The Santa Fe New Mexican, August 9, 1991 Karen Matheison, (review), Seattle Times, March 7, 1991 John Marshall, “Visions of Success,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 3, 1991 Ann Douglas After, (book cover), Breitenbush Books, Portland OR, 1990 Artweek, (review), January 14, 1989 John Harris, “Artist Tries Change of Pace,” Bellingham Herald, January 10, 1989
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